Michigan State has secured its replacement for Jonathan Smith.
The Spartans finalized a five-year deal to hire Pat Fitzgerald as their next head coach on Monday afternoon, according toYahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger. Themove came just one day after Michigan State fired Smith, though they were reportedly locked in on Fitzgerald for the job almost immediately.
A new era begins in East Lansing!Welcome home, Coach Fitzgerald!pic.twitter.com/Ds77loJOlf
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football)December 1, 2025
"I am honored to be named the head football coach at Michigan State University," said Fitzgerald said in a statement. "I'd like to thank President Guskiewicz and athletics director Batt for this opportunity. This is a program with a deep and storied tradition, a passionate fan base, and a commitment to excellence that extends far beyond the football field. What excited me most about this opportunity was the vision for what Michigan State can be for years to come. We will restore tradition, and I'm eager to earn the trust of our players, alumni, and fans while competing at the highest level."
The job will mark Fitzgerald's first since he was fired from Northwestern ahead of the 2023 campaign following a hazing scandal within the program. Fitzgerald spent 17 seasons with the Wildcats, and he had three 10-win seasons there before finishing with a 110-101 record.
Fitzgerald was fired in the summer of 2023, shortly after he was initially put on a two-week suspension after the hazing allegations were first made public. He reached an undisclosed settlement with the university in August afterfiling a wrongful termination lawsuit, and he said in a statement at the time that it was proventhat he did not know about the hazing allegationswhile he was head coach.
Northwestern went just 4-10 over Fitzgerald's final two seasons, and 1-11 in 2022. They've since hired David Braun to replace him, and he's led the Wildcats over the past three seasons.
Fitzgerald will now enter just his second head coaching job in college football and take over for Smith, who struggled during his two seasons with the Spartans. The team went just 4-8 this season, marking its second losing campaign since Smith took over after a six-year run at Oregon State. Smith finished with a 9-15 record in East Lansing.
Though Fitzgerald has been away from the game for a few years, there's no doubt he knows the Big Ten landscape well and is still a very capable coach for Michigan State — especially during an offseason where so many top jobs have been open throughout the Power Four conferences. Now he'll have to try and quickly get the Spartans back to the top of the conference, a place they haven't been consistently in years.
